Disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus for material such as pulp

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for disintegrating-and-blowing material such as pulp, comprising a housing, a rotatable drive shaft associated with the housing, and a rotor disposed in the housing and connected to the drive shaft to be rotatably driven thereby. Portions of the housing on opposite sides of the rotor are open to one another peripherally of the rotor; and the housing is provided with a material inlet for supplying material to one side of the rotor, a gas inlet for supplying blowing gas to the other side of the rotor, and a material outlet communicating with said one side of the rotor for discharging material from the housing. The drive shaft carries knife means located on said one side of the rotor adjacent to the material inlet for breaking-up or shredding compacted material supplied through the latter; and material disintegrating means is located on said one side of the rotor for disintegrating the shredded material. Fan means, connected to the drive shaft to be rotatably driven thereby, is provided in the housing on said other side of the rotor for causing the supplied blowing gas to flow peripherally around the rotor and blow the disintegrated material from the housing through the material outlet.

Carlsmith *Nov. 4, 1975 DISINTEGRATING-AND-BLOWING APPARATUS FOR MATERIAL SUCH AS Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr.

PUL Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert Paquin [75] Inventor: IIGaIvIvr-ence A. Carlsnuth, Amherst, [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for disintegrating-and-blowing material [73] Asslgnee: mgersonkand Company Woodchff such as pulp, comprising a housing, a rotatable drive Lake shaft associated with the housin and a rotor dis osed g P i The portion f the term f this in the housing and connected to the drive shaft to be patent subsequent to June 14, 1991 rotatably driven thereby. Portions of the housing on has been diselaimed opposite sides of the rotor are open to one another pcripherally of the rotor; and the housing is provided [22] Fled: 1974 with a material inlet for supplying material to one side 21 APPL 459 0 of the rotor, a gas inlet for supplying blowing gas to the other side of the rotor, and a material outlet communicating with said one side of the rotor for dis- [52] US. Cl; 241/55; 241/188 A charging material m the housing The drive h ft [51] Iut. Cl. B02C 23/28 earn-es k if means located on said one Side f the [581 of Search 241/55 56, 188R, 188 A; rotor adjacent to the material inlet for breaking-up or 162/236 shreddin com acted material su lied throu h the g P PP g latter; and materlal disintegrating means is located on References Cited said one side of the rotor for disintegrating the shred- UNITED STATES PATENTS ded material. Fan means, connected to the drive shaft 1,235,030 7/1917 Higginson 241/188 A x to be rotatably driven thereby, is Provided in the hous- 1,s0s,so9 6/1931 Prouty et al. 241 55 ing on said other side of the rotor for causing the sup- 2,427,495 9/1947 Deuchler 162/336 plied blowing gas to flow peripherally around the rotor ,416 7/1955 Beushausen et a1. 241/55 and blow the disintegrated material from the housing Nardi through the material outlet 3,640,475 2/1972 Jung et al. 241/55 3,814,664 6/1974 Carlsmith 162/236 2 Claims, 3'Dl'flWIng Flgures I 52 42 46 4o 3 8 78 58 62 60 380 T" I i rt 56 EB 4211 74 Sheet 1 of2 US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,917,176

U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 The present invention relates to apparatus for disintegratingand-blowing material such as pulp and more particularly to apparatus of this type particularly adapted whereby, for example, pulp may be disintegrated external to a gaseous reaction vessel and then gas blown to the vessel.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and improved apparatus particularly adapted for disintegrating-and-blowing material such as pulp.

Another object is to provide new and improved apparatus of the type set forth particularly adapted whereby material such as pulp may be disintegrated outside of a gaseous reaction vessel and then gas blown to the ves sel.

Another object is to provide new and improved apparatus of the type set forth particularly adapted to prevent the material from adhering to the wall of the housing of the apparatus.

Another object is to provide new and improved apparatus of the type set forth particularly adapted to require only a single drive shaft.

Another object is to provide new and improved apparatus of the type set forth particularly adapted to permit feed of the material into the housing of the apparatus at least generally coaxially of the rotor thereof.

Another object is to provide new and improved apparatus of the type set forth particularly adapted to permit the rotor to be carried by a relatively short, rigid supporting shaft.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein, as will be understood, the preferred embodiment of the invention have been given for the purposes of illustration only.

In accordance with the invention, material disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus may comprise a housing, a rotatable drive shaft associated with the housing, rotor means in the housing and connected to the drive shaft to be rotatably driven thereby, the housing having material inlet means for supplying material to one side of the rotor means and gas inlet means for supplying blowing gas to the opposite side of the rotor means, the housing further having material outlet means communicating with said one side of the rotor means for discharging material from the housing, said sides of the rotor means communicating peripherally of the rotor means to permit supply of blowing gas from said opposite side of the rotor means to said one side thereof, material disintegrating means in the housing means intermediate the material inlet means and the material outlet means for disintegrating material on said one side of the rotor means, and fan means in the housing means on said opposite side of the rotor means, the fan means being connected to the drive shaft to be rotatably driven thereby for causing blowing gas to flow peripherally around the rotor means whereby such that the gas blows material disintegrated by the material disintegrating means through'the material outlet means.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view schematically depicting a gaseous reaction system including one embodiment of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a substantially enlarged elevational view, partially broken away and in section, of the embodiment of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partially broken away and in section, of such embodiment of the apparatus looking from the material inlet end thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a gaseous reaction system comprising a generally vertical, annular, gaseous reaction vessel, designated generally as 10, and a disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus, designated generally as 12 and shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, which is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The reaction vessel 10 is particularly adapted for a gaseous reaction process, such as the ozone gaseous bleaching of pulp, in which the reagent gas is supplied in mixture with a carrier gas and, per se, is of the same construction as the reaction vessel disclosed in my US. Pat. application Ser. No. 288,031, filed Sept. 11, 1972, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, now,U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,664, issued June 4, 1974.

The vessel 10 includes an upper portion 14 and a therebelow adjoining lower portion 16 of cross-section substantially greater than that of the vessel upper portion 14, the juncture of such vessel portions being substantially spaced intermediate the upper and lower ends of the vessel 10. The upper end of the vessel upper portion 14 is provided with one or more gas inlets 18 communicating such upper end through gas supply conduit means 20 with a source (not shown) of the gas or gaseous reagent to be employed during operation of the system, such gaseous reagent being, for example, a mixture of ozone and oxygen carrier gas in the event that the system be utilized for the beforementioned ozone gaseous bleaching of pulp. The upper end of the vessel upper portion 14 is also provided with a material or pulp inlet 22 which connects such upper end with a material supply conduit 24, in turn, connected to the disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus 12 to receive the material from the latter. In addition, the vessel 10 is further provided with a circulating gas conduit 26 adapted to discharge a minor portion of the supplied gas from the upper end of the vessel upper portion 14 to the apparatus 12. The lower end of the vessel lower portion 16 is provided with one or more material discharge outlets 28 which serve to discharge the bleached pulp or other gaseous reacted material from such lower end of the vessel lower portion 16; and the vessel 10 is provided with an annular peripheral gas receiving chamber 30 which is open to the upper end of the vessel lower portion 16 and connected to a gas discharge outlet 32, the chamber 30 and outlet 32 serving to discharge the carrier gas in the supplied gaseous mixture from the vessel 10.

The disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus 12 comprises a housing or casing 34 including a volute portion 34a having therein an imperforate disc-like rotor 36 which is affixed to a hub assembly 42, the hub assembly 42 being, in turn, connected through straight splines 42a to one end of a drive shaft 38 to be rotatably driven by the latter. The shaft 38 is rotatably supported by bearings contained within a bearing housing 40 and adapted to be rotatably driven by a motor (not shown) connected to its opposite end 38a. One side 44, hereinafter called the forward side, of the rotor 36 is spaced from the thereadjacent wall 34b of the housing 34 by a material chamber 46 which is contained within the housing 34 forwardly of the rotor 36 and along opposite sides defined by the rotor forward side 44 and the casing wall 34b. The other or opposite side 48, hereinafter called the rearward side, of the rotor 36 is spaced from the thereadjacent casing wall 34c by a blowing gas chamber 50 contained within the housing 34 rearwardly of the rotor 36 and along opposite sides bounded by the rotor rearward side 48 and the housing wall 34c. The blowing gas chamber 50 communicates through an axial opening 52 in the casing wall 340 with a blowing gas inlet chamber 54 also contained within the housing 34. The housing 34 is provided with a material inlet or inletconduit 56 open to the material chamber 46, and hence to the forward side 44 of the rotor 36, coaxially of the rotor 36, the material inlet 56 serving during operation of the apparatus 12 for supplying the pulp or other material to the chamber 44. The material inlet 56 is, as will be understood, schematically depicted in FIG. 1 as shifted 90out of position for the purposes of illustration; and the true relationship of the material inlet 56 and the rotor 36 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The material inlet 56 is connected through a material supply conduit 58 to a source (not shown) of the material, the conduit 58, as shown in FIG. 3, including a portion narrowing or tapering in cross-section towards the material inlet 56. A rotatably driven shaft 60 is coaxially disposed in such tapering portion of the conduit 58 and therein carries a feedand-compacting screw 62 which is continuously rotatably driven throughout the operation of the apparatus. Hence, throughout such operation, the screw 62 compacts the material in the tapering portion of the conduit 58, whereby the compacted material forms a plug in the conduit 58 upstream of the material inlet 56 to prevent both gas loss from the housing 34 through the inlet 56 and introduction of undesirable gasses into the housing 34 through the inlet 56; and the screw 62 simultaneously feeds, such plug of material through the material inlet 56. The housing 34 also includes a gas inlet 64, connected to the gas recirculation conduit 26 to receive gas therefrom, which is tangentially connected to the blowing gas inlet chamber 54 for supplying gas through the opening 52 into the blowing gas chamber 50 and hence to the rearward side 48 of the rotor 36. The housing 34 is further provided with a material discharge outlet 66 which communicates with the material chamber 46 for discharging the material from the housing 34. The material discharge outlet 66, as shown in FIG. 1, is connected to the material supply conduit 24 for supplying the discharged material to the inlet 22 of the reaction vessel 10. The annular outer periphery of the rotor 36, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is spaced from the surrounding wall of the housing 34 by an annular space or passage 68 which communicates the chambers 46, 54 for supplying blowing gas from the former to the latter peripherally'around the rotor 36, whereby the gas blows material through the material outlet 66 and the thereto connected conduit 24 into the reaction vessel 10.

Immediately adjacent the material inlet 56 and in the material chamber 46 centrally of the rotor 36, the hub assembly 42 carries a plurality of radially extending, knife-like elements or blades 70 serving to break-up or shred the compacted material supplied through the ma terial inlet 56; and intermediate such knife-like elements 70 and the connection of the material outlet 56 to the chamber 46, material disintegrating means, des- 4 1 ignated generally as 72, are provided in the material chamber 46 for disintegrating the material broken-up or shreadedl by the knife-like elements 70. As illustrated, the disintegrating means 72 comprises an inner annulus or plurality of rotary disintegrating pins 74 carried by the rotor 36 for rotation therewith and an outer annulus or plurality of stationary disintegrating pins 76 carried by the housing 32 cooperative with the rotary pins 74 for disintegrating the material during the relative rotation of the pins 74, 76. Also, as illustrated, the

outer ends of the rotary pins 74 are supported by an annular plate 78 which along its inner periphery is mounted on the knife-like elements and the outer ends of the stationary pins 76 are interconnected by an annular mounting ring 80. It will be understood, however, that this illustrated construction of the material disintegrating means 72 hasbeen shown for thepurposes of illustration only; and, alternatively, the disinte-z grating means 72 could be of other suitable construction.

The rearward side 48 of the rotor 36 rigidly carries fan means in the blowing gas chamber 50, such fan means being illustrated as comprising a plurality of arcuately spaced apart, radially extending, fan vanes or blades 82, affixed at their inner ends to the hub assembly 42 and during rotation of the rotor 36 causing the gas supplied to the blowing gas chamber 50 to flow through the annular space 68 to the material chamber 46 whereby the gas blows the material disintegrated by the disintegrating pins 74, 76 through the material outlet 66 and the thereto connected conduit 24 into the reaction vessel 10.

The operation of such a reaction vessel 10 during the practice of a gaseous reaction process, such as the ozone gaseous bleaching of pulp, is described in detail in the beforementioned US. Pat. application Ser. No. 288,031 and hence will only be summarized herein. Throughout such operation, pulp in disintegrated condition is supplied into the vessel upper portion 14 through the material inlet 22 and showers downwardly onto the upper end 84 of a porous pulp plug maintained therebelow in the vessel 10. Simultaneously, a mixture of ozone and oxygen carrier gas (for example, containg four percent ozone and ninety-six percent carrier oxygen) is supplied into the vessel upper portion 14 through the gas inlet 18, a portion of such supplied gas being discharged from the vessel upper portion 14 through the gas recirculation conduit 26; and the disintegrated pulp while showering downwardly onto the pulp plug in the vessel 10 is exposed to the ozoneloxy gen mixture for a short, but finite period of time (for example, five seconds) during which time period a large portion of the ozone is absorbed into the pulp.

Bleached pulp is continuously discharged from the lower end of the vessel lower portion 16 through the outlet or outlets 28, thus causing the pulp in the pulp plug to be retained in the vessel 10 for the time period requisite for the ozone bleaching operation. During the movement of the pulp downwardly through the vessel upper portion 14, the remaining unabsorbed ozone is absorbed into pulp;and the oxygen content of the supplied gas is discharged from the vessel 10 through the chamber 30 and its connected outlet 32.

Throughout the operation of the disintegrating-andblowing apparatus 12, the shaft 38 is continuously rotatably driven to provide continuous driven rotation of the rotor 36 and its carried rotary disintegrating pins 74 i and also of the knife-like elements 70 and the fan blades 82. Pulp is continuously supplied through the conduit 56, the screw 62 being continuously rotatably driven to compact the pulp into a non-porous plug upstream of the material inlet 56, thereby preventing the entry of undesirable gasses such as air through the material inlet 56 which also preventing loss of gas from the housing 34 through such inlet 56; and the screw 62 feeds such compacted pulp plug into the material chamber 46 through the inlet 56. The knife-like elements 70 break-up or shred the thus supplied pulp whereupon the broken-up pulp passes radially outwardly in the material chamber 46 between the disintegrating pins 74, 76 which further disintegrate and fluff the pulp to a condition suitable for gaseous bleaching and the formation in the reaction vessel of a porous pulp plug permeable to gas flow therethrough. The disintegrated pulp then passes further radially outwardly towards the material outlet 66. The gas recirculation conduit 26 continuously supplies the beforedescribed portion of the gas from the vessel (10) into the blowing gas inlet chamber 54; and such gas flows through the opening 52 to the blowing gas chamber 50. The rotating fan blades 82 cause the gas to flow at relatively high velocity through the annular space 68 into the material chamber 46 where the gas blows the disintegrated material through the material outlet 66 and into the vessel upper portion 14. t

From the preceeding description it will be seen that the invention provides new and improved means for accomplishing all of the beforestated objects and advantages. It will, for example, be seen that the flow of the blowing gas through the opening 68 around the rotor periphery causes a layer of relatively high velocity gas to be formed along the outer circumferential wall of the housing 34. This layer of relatively high velocity gas serves to prevent moist disintegrated or fluffed pulp from sticking to said housing walls, such being believed to be of most importance in pulp consistency below 26 percent oven dry pulp. Also, the beforedescribed construction of the disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus 12 enables the shaft 38 to be of relatively short length between the bearings contained in the bearing housing and the rotor 36, thereby enabling the shaft 38 to be relatively rigid with a relatively high critical speed. Moreover, the described arrangement of the shaft 38 permits feed of the material through the material inlet 56 coaxially or centrally of the rotor 36.

From the preceeding description, it will be seen that the invention provides new and improved means for attaining all of the beforestated objects and advantages. It will be understood, however, that, although only a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and hereinbefore specifically described, the invention is not limited merely to this single embodiment, but rather contemplates other embodiments and variations within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. ln'combination, gaseous reaction apparatus and apparatus for disintegrating-and-blowing material such as pulp, said disintegrating and blowing apparatus com- I prising a housing, a rotatable drive shaft associated with said housing, a rotor in said housing connected to one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft, said housing containing a material chamber on one side of said rotor open to said one side of said rotor and a blowing gas chamber on the opposite side of said rotor open to said opposite side thereof, there being passage means peripherally around said 6 rotor communicating said chambers, said housing having a material inlet connected to said material chamber coaxially of said rotor for supplying material to said material chamber and also a blowing gas inlet communicating with said blowing gas chamber for supplying blowing gas thereto, said housing having a material outlet communicating with said material chamber for discharging gas blown material from such chamber, material shredding means connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and adjacent said material inlet for shredding compacted material supplied therethrough, material disintegrating means in said material chamber intermediate said material shredding means and said material outlet for disintegrating the material, said material disintegrating means comprising a plurality of material disintegrating elements carried by said housing, a plurality of fan blades connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and on the same side of said rotor as said gas chamber for causing blowing gas supplied to said blowing gas chamber to flow through said passage means peripherally around said rotor and blow disintegrated material through said material outlet, and plug feed means operatively associated with said material inlet for causing material to be supplied to said material chamber through said material inlet in compacted plug form preventing both gas loss from said housing through said material inlet and flow of undesirable gas into said housing through said material inlet, said plug feed means comprising a material supply conduit for connecting said material inlet to a source of the material, said material supply conduit including at least a portion narrowing in cross-section towards said material inlet, a rotatable second drive shaft in said tapering portion of said material supply conduit spaced end-to-end from said first mentioned drive shaft and rotatable separately therefrom, and a feed-and-compacting screw carried by said second drive shaft in said tapering portion of said material supply conduit to be rotatably driven thereby for feeding material into said material inlet while simultaneously compacting material in said tapering portion to thereby form a plug of compacted material in said tapering portion preventing gas flow into-and-out of said material chamber through said material supply conduit, and said gaseous reaction apparatus comprising an elongated, generally vertical vessel, supply conduit means comm unicating with said material outlet of said disintegratingand-blowing apparatus to receive material therefrom and connected to the upper end of said vessel for supplying the material to said upper end of said vessel, gas supply means connected to the upper end of said vessel for supplying a mixture of reactant gas and carrier gas to such upper end and to material therein, means for discharging material from the lower end of said vessel, said vessel including an upper portion and a therebelow adjoining, lower portion of cross-section greater than said upper portion, said vessel being provided with a gas receiving chamber extending around said 'vessel upper portion with its lower end substantially spaced intermediate the ends of said vessel and adjacent the juncture of said vessel portions, said lower end of said chamber being open to the upper end of said vessel lower portion through an unrestricted opening to upwardly receive carrier gas therefrom, wall means intermediate said gas receiving chamber and said vessel upper portion closing said gas receiving chamber from direct connection to said vessel upper portion, gas outlet means for discharging carrier gas from said gas receiving chamber, said gas receiving chamber and said outlet means being free from screens and similar filtering media, and blowing gas supply conduit means communicating with said vessel to receive blowing gas therefrom and connected to said blowing gas inletfor supplying the blowing gas thereto.

2. In combination, gaseous reaction apparatus and apparatus for disintegrating-and-blowing material such as pulp, said disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus comprising a housing, a rotatable drive shaft associated with said housing, a rotor in said housing connected to one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft, said housing containing a material chamber on one side of said rotor open to said one side of said rotor and a blowing gas chamber on the opposite side of said rotor open to said opposite side thereof, there being passage means peripherally around said rotor. communicating said chambers, said housing hav ing a material inlet connected to said material chamber coaxially of said rotor for supplying material to said material chamber and also a blowing gas inlet communicating with said blowing gas chamber for supplying blowing gas thereto, said housing having a material outlet communicating with said material chamber for discharging gas blown material from such chamber, mate- 1 rial shredding means connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and adjacent said material inlet for shredding compacted material supplied therethrough, material disintegrating means in said material chamber intermediate said ma- 8 terial shredding means and said material outlet fordisintegrating the material said material disintegrating means comprising a plurality of material disintegrating elements carried by said housing, a plurality of fan blades connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and on the same side of said rotor as said gas chamber for causing blowing gas supplied to said blowing gas chamber to flow through said passage means peripherally around said rotor and blow disintegrated material through said material outlet, and plug feed means operatively associated with said material inlet for causing material to be supplied to said material chamber through said material inlet in compacted plug form preventing both gas loss from said housing through said material inlet and flow of undesirable gas into said housing through said material inlet, and said gaseous reaction apparatus comprising an elongated, generally vertical vessel, supply conduit means communicating said material outlet of said disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus with the upper end of said vessel for supplying the material gas blown through said material outlet to said upper end of said vessel, gas supply means connected tothe upper end of said vessel for supplying reactant gas to such upper end and to material therein, circulating gas conduit means communicating said vessel with said blowing gas inlet of said disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus for supplying blowing gas from said vessel to said blowing gas inlet, and means for discharging material from the lower end of said vessel. 

1. In combination, gaseous reaction apparatus and apparatus for disintegrating-and-blowing material such as pulp, said disintegrating and blowing apparatus comprising a housing, a rotatable drive shaft associated with said housing, a rotor in said housing connected to one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft, said housing containing a material chamber on one side of said rotor open to said one side of said rotor and a blowing gas chamber on the opposite side of said rotor open to said opposite side thereof, there being passage means peripherally around said rotor communicating said chambers, said housing having a material inlet connected to said material chamber coaxially of said rotor for supplying material to said material chamber and also a blowing gas inlet communicating with said blowing gas chamber for supplying blowing gas thereto, said housing having a material outlet communicating with said material chamber for discharging gas blown material from such chamber, material shredding means connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and Adjacent said material inlet for shredding compacted material supplied therethrough, material disintegrating means in said material chamber intermediate said material shredding means and said material outlet for disintegrating the material, said material disintegrating means comprising a plurality of material disintegrating elements carried by said housing, a plurality of fan blades connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and on the same side of said rotor as said gas chamber for causing blowing gas supplied to said blowing gas chamber to flow through said passage means peripherally around said rotor and blow disintegrated material through said material outlet, and plug feed means operatively associated with said material inlet for causing material to be supplied to said material chamber through said material inlet in compacted plug form preventing both gas loss from said housing through said material inlet and flow of undesirable gas into said housing through said material inlet, said plug feed means comprising a material supply conduit for connecting said material inlet to a source of the material, said material supply conduit including at least a portion narrowing in cross-section towards said material inlet, a rotatable second drive shaft in said tapering portion of said material supply conduit spaced end-toend from said first mentioned drive shaft and rotatable separately therefrom, and a feed-and-compacting screw carried by said second drive shaft in said tapering portion of said material supply conduit to be rotatably driven thereby for feeding material into said material inlet while simultaneously compacting material in said tapering portion to thereby form a plug of compacted material in said tapering portion preventing gas flow into-and-out of said material chamber through said material supply conduit, and said gaseous reaction apparatus comprising an elongated, generally vertical vessel, supply conduit means communicating with said material outlet of said disintegratingand-blowing apparatus to receive material therefrom and connected to the upper end of said vessel for supplying the material to said upper end of said vessel, gas supply means connected to the upper end of said vessel for supplying a mixture of reactant gas and carrier gas to such upper end and to material therein, means for discharging material from the lower end of said vessel, said vessel including an upper portion and a therebelow adjoining, lower portion of cross-section greater than said upper portion, said vessel being provided with a gas receiving chamber extending around said vessel upper portion with its lower end substantially spaced intermediate the ends of said vessel and adjacent the juncture of said vessel portions, said lower end of said chamber being open to the upper end of said vessel lower portion through an unrestricted opening to upwardly receive carrier gas therefrom, wall means intermediate said gas receiving chamber and said vessel upper portion closing said gas receiving chamber from direct connection to said vessel upper portion, gas outlet means for discharging carrier gas from said gas receiving chamber, said gas receiving chamber and said outlet means being free from screens and similar filtering media, and blowing gas supply conduit means communicating with said vessel to receive blowing gas therefrom and connected to said blowing gas inlet for supplying the blowing gas thereto.
 2. In combination, gaseous reaction apparatus and apparatus for disintegrating-and-blowing material such as pulp, said disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus comprising a housing, a rotatable drive shaft associated with said housing, a rotor in said housing connected to one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft, said housing containing a material chamber on one side of said rotor open to said one side of said rotor and a blowing gas chamber on the opposite side of said rotor open to said opposite side thereof, there being passage means peripherally around said rotor communicating said chambers, said housing having a material inlet connected to said material chamber coaxially of said rotor for supplying material to said material chamber and also a blowing gas inlet communicating with said blowing gas chamber for supplying blowing gas thereto, said housing having a material outlet communicating with said material chamber for discharging gas blown material from such chamber, material shredding means connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and adjacent said material inlet for shredding compacted material supplied therethrough, material disintegrating means in said material chamber intermediate said material shredding means and said material outlet for disintegrating the material said material disintegrating means comprising a plurality of material disintegrating elements carried by said housing, a plurality of fan blades connected to said one end of said drive shaft to be rotatably driven by said drive shaft and on the same side of said rotor as said gas chamber for causing blowing gas supplied to said blowing gas chamber to flow through said passage means peripherally around said rotor and blow disintegrated material through said material outlet, and plug feed means operatively associated with said material inlet for causing material to be supplied to said material chamber through said material inlet in compacted plug form preventing both gas loss from said housing through said material inlet and flow of undesirable gas into said housing through said material inlet, and said gaseous reaction apparatus comprising an elongated, generally vertical vessel, supply conduit means communicating said material outlet of said disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus with the upper end of said vessel for supplying the material gas blown through said material outlet to said upper end of said vessel, gas supply means connected to the upper end of said vessel for supplying reactant gas to such upper end and to material therein, circulating gas conduit means communicating said vessel with said blowing gas inlet of said disintegrating-and-blowing apparatus for supplying blowing gas from said vessel to said blowing gas inlet, and means for discharging material from the lower end of said vessel. 